Did Jesus go to hell for us ?
 

I was reading in my bible last night and I read something that kind of left me
confused. In the book of Acts 2:27 - Acts 2:31 - Psalms 16:10 - Psalms 49:15- Hos. 13:14 - 1 Corinthians 15:54 .Did Jesus Christ go to hell for us ? I know that Jesus suffered a great deal for us and he layed down his life for us but I would love to know if any of you understand this part. :)

Ephesians 4:8-10 (KJV) Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Notice here that Hell is described as being the lower parts of the earth? I've always found this fascinating. http://www.av1611.org/hell_proof.html)

Scripture does not support any notion of Christ going to the Lake of Fire (which most people think is Hell). I do not think anyone is in the Lake of Fire yet. Hell is a place made for the angels that rebelled against God.

2 Peter 2:4 (KJV) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Also there are men there too:


Isaiah 14:9 (KJV) Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

Revelation 20:13 (KJV) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

There is also fire in Hell:

James 3:6 (KJV) And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Matthew 5:22 (KJV) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Christ was in Hell, but was not left in Hell, nor did He see corruption:

Acts 2:27 (KJV) Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2:31 (KJV) He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

Christ was on a mission when in Hell:

1 Peter 3:19 (KJV) By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

And about these spirits:

Luke 16:19-31 (KJV) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.


I found a good article here http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/j...n-hell-faq.htm which talks about this. I do not know all the beliefs of those that run this site, so I cannot vouche for those that run this site. This article, however, is pretty decent.

I'm sure there is more to be discussed about this subject. I hope this clarifies things for you.

Much Love in Christ Jesus,
Stephen

Thank you for answering that question for me and sending me so much information on this subject. I thought Iwas right about it but I was still confused. I knew that if Jesus did suffer hell also for us as part of what all he did for us that he didn't remain there.
I just wasn't sure if I was taking that message right or not. Thank you for your help.

"spirits in prison" - men or angels?
 

Another article I read concerning the issue of Christ going down to Hell was by David Reagan:

http://www.learnthebible.org/did_christ_go_to_hell.htm

I also got across Bullinger's appendixes to his Companion Bible where he says "spirits" are never used of men in the departed state. (see http://www.companion-bible.com/CBPdffiles/ )

I haven't figured out every detail on this issue yet, and looking forward to more discussions here.

No, Christ did not go to Hell. When the one theif believed on Him, He said "to day shalt thou be with me in paradise." So by this we know that that very same day Christ was in Paradise. Now, the bible does say that He preached unto those in prison. I'm not sure if this means the souls in Hell or not, but even if it does that doesn't mean He went to Hell. Since Hell and Paradise are both in the same place, sepparated by a great gulf, He didn't have to be in Hell to preach to them.

That's right. I don't believe Christ endured suffereing during those three days. I believe He was claiming His victory over death and preaching to the spirits in bondage.

Peace and Love,
Stephen

I believe that in order to make atonement, he took ALL the sins of mankind upon His Holy person, as such, it brought about the full consequenses, in this case going into the depths for us. As someone stated in anther post he could not be held there! He rose from there back to Heaven, to sit at the Father's side. This makes us see how sinful sin truly is....and how hight the cost was for the Blessed Saviour to obtain it. It in reflection should only deepen our love for Him. Grace and Peace.

though Christ took our sins onthe cross and died there for us in our place and his shed blood provided forgiveness of sins and atonement for them as well.

he did not go to hell and suffer there for us. he is a holy person a holy person cannot go to Gehenna or the lake of fire.

He was made sin on the cross for us however he was not made it so much that he had to be sent to torment for us. he did visit there and the paradise this is the hell most refer too.

Kenneth Hagan and Copeland both teach Christ was dragged to hell by Satan and tortured him but in the midst it was stopped because Satan brought a sinless man into hell to torture so he was rescued by God and resurrected. this is nothing more than a fantasy of deranged and devilish minds.

Satan is nowhere near hell the lake of fire or the torments compartment that lays along side the empty paradise. while the waiting places for the dead are refered to as hell. Only the PIT and the Lake of fire are for the Satan (the Devil) and his angels (the devils).

I agree. Christ did not enter into the nether world to preach to all those long lost souls that departed earth prior to His arrival.

However Josh you mentioned that

Where is paradise and if Christ went there what was the purpose of His ascension later? Also, Christ tells Mary Magdalene after the discovery that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father." If Christ had not yet ascended to the Father where is paradise?

Hi KJR, I for one DO believe that our Lord Jesus Christ went to the very fires of hell, for the following reasons:

1. His soul was a burnt offering for sin in hell.
2. He purged our sins in hell.

Hell in the Bible is the place of torment in the centre of earth where the damned go, there there is fire, pain, and suffering. Abraham's bosom (where the souls of the OT saints rested while waiting for Christ) is also in the heart of the earth but it is never called "hell", hell and Ab's bosom are two different places separated by a great gulf or space.

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The writer of Acts confirms that the soul of Christ went to "hell", but was not left there, both in Acts 2:27 & Acts 2:31.[/FONT]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Here is the key to understanding this stuff:[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The Passover lamb in Exodus was a type of the coming sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the one, true, Passover Lamb. [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']There is a full description of the Passover in Exodus 12:1-10. From this passage we learn the following about the passover lamb:

Christ being our true Passover lamb must have been anointed on the tenth day of the month. On the 14th day he was killed...
- by the whole assembly (Matthew 27:25)
- in the evening (Matthew 27:45)
- He was given no water (Matthew 27:34; John 19:28)
- He was roast with fire (Isaiah 53:10a)

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']
Christ’s soul, in the heart of the earth, was made an "offering for sin".

Here is the mention of the offering and sacrifice. As the Lamb of God he was both and is pictured so in the Old Testament (Exodus 29:41; Hebrews 13:11-12). Christ sanctified us with his blood and also suffered like the body of the lamb by being burned.

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Isaiah 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
[/FONT]

I think to deny that Hell was a part of what he needed to accomplish in effect denies that he not only took our sins, but the full consequences. The one difference being this, Hell could not hold Him in that He was not guilty of personal or original sin (being the "second Adam") thus he could still tell the thief that he would be with him in Paradise. Blessings.

This belief that Jesus suffered in Hell is a part of the theory that believes Jesus had to pay Satan a ransom for us. As in Satan had power over us until Jesus payed Satan in order to loose us from his power. I think this is just ludicrous, to put it lightly.

I'm saved by the precious blood of Jesus, not by some insane belief that Jesus payed Satan a random for me by being tormented in Hell (this theory cannot be supported by Scripture at all). Hell is a place where spirits are bound until judgment. Jesus was not bound, therefore He was there for another purpose, which has already been stated.

So what is the required payment for sin after all? What saith the Scriptures?

Romans 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James 1:15 (KJV) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

and for the finale:

Romans 5:10 (KJV) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Clearly we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son, our Lord Jesus. Nowhere can I find Scripture to support the notion of our atonement being dependant upon Christ suffereing in Hell. Hell has no power over God! Never has, never will!

Peace and Love,
Stephen

That's an over-generalisation bro, not everyone who believes Christ went to hell holds to this theory, and you're the first one to mention it so far in this thread.

Every Bible student knows that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ follows the pattern of the sin offering practised by Israel in the OT, and that it was always taken and BURNED outside the camp, just like Christ was:

Hebrews 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

This verse does not refer to Christ burning in Hell. This is talking about Him suffering up until His death on the cross (without the gate).

Peace and Love,
Stephen

So if you don't believe Christ went to the fires of hell, where was Peter referring to when he said in Acts 2:31 "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."

Is hell in this verse not that place of torment in the heart of the earth?

I never said He didn't go to Hell (Hell in Scriptures is not only a place where souls/spirits go to be tormented. Some are there in bondage awaiting judgement. Which implies that 'judgement' hasn't happened yet). I said Christ never went there to suffer the torments one might find there or pay ransom to Satan. Christ made atonement for our sins when He died on the Cross, and we recieve salvation by believing in His resurrection. The victory happened on the Cross, not in some hypothetical torment in Hell.

Peace and Love,
Stephen

So we agree that Christ went to hell, but now you're trying to say that He went to a part of hell where there is no torment? Can you provide scripture for that? The implication that judgment hasn't happened yet is true for ALL who are in hell (not only the angels of 2 Peter 2:4), because those in hell are judged at the great white throne in Rev 20:

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The gospel we preach is the death, BURIAL, and resurrection of Christ, all three elements are important. So, do you believe there was any significance to the burial of Christ in relation to our salvation, apart from the fact that He needed to be buried in order to rise from the dead?

Paradise is Abraham's Bosom, located in Gehenna, along side Hell. The two are sepparated by a "great gulf". Christ had not yet ascended to the Father in Heaven.

Can you provide Scripture to support the notion of Him being tormented in Hell? Don't you see how silly this is. Christ went to Hell (Paradise as Josh just said) to minister to the spirits in bondage. I teach the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ also. The difference is that I don't add anything to it that isn't present in Scripture.

Peace and Love,
Stephen

The suffering of Christ ended on the cross. "It is finished."

Amen!! "It is finished" means just that. Done. Complete. Paid in full. Christ's resurection was His victory over death. The price for our sins was paid in full at Calvary. :)

But you have to remember that Jesus hadn't "ascended unto my father" yet at the tomb when Mary came; she wasn't allowed to touch Him because the atonement hadn't yet been completed. Just make sure you aren't applying a Biblical truth incorrectly to fit your own beliefs.

"It is finished" is a reference to "all things that were accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled" in the previous verse John 19:28, it also signifies the end of His human life, for Jesus gave up the ghost in verse 29 immediately after he made the statement. He didn't say "it is finished" because his pain & suffering would be over.

The sacrifice of Christ's body was "finished" on the cross (Hebrews 10:8-12), and I believe that afterwards His soul was made an offering (scripture previously posted) for sin in the fires of hell, as our passover Lamb, and as Sin itself (He became sin for us) which had to be purged by fire. That 'fits' with the scriptures posted previously concerning Christ in the underworld, which many have difficulty with and can't explain.

The hell Peter is refering too is the dual holding place of the dead known to the jews as torment and pradise (Abraham's bosom). if he was left there that would mean non of us could have teh promise of resurrection. he was raised for our justification. if he did not rise we would not be justified either.

He did not sufer torments because Gods justice would not allow a sinless man to be tormented. Jesus physical life was the sacrifice not his spirit or soul. and it was only as far as the work of the cross only that Jesus had to be the substitute. His purpose to go to the prison or holdingplace was to preach to them in torments and to verify the faith of the righteous. when he rose the righteous souls went with him.

I'm confused on "paradise." The word only appears three times in the Bible; all three in the NT and in the original Greek, all three occurrences have the same meaning.

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

2 Corinthians 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Is it the same paradise, or three different ones; a generic term for three different locations?

Thinking about it as I wrote this, I'm thinking it's a generic term.

Don't forget that Jesus, in God's eyes, was not sinless when He was upon the cross; God put the sins of the entire world upon Him and punished Him for them. It makes sense, if you think about it, that the person who bore our sin debt would also pay the eternal punishments of Hell, since that is the penalty for the sins He paid for.

Um, that's an obvious parable.


Lazarus and the Rich Man

[A Scriptural Journey Through the Intriguing Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man]

L. Ray Smith

In Luke 16:22-23 where we learn of Abraham's bosom, the scripture makes a distinction between the two holding places, one being the place of rest, Ab's bosom, and the other being the place of torment, HELL. I don't believe Ab's bosom is a part of hell, but that the two are separate places with a great gulf between them.

You run the references on hell in the Bible and they ALL refer to that place of torment, and Jesus Christ preached about it the most, so when Peter is speaking of "not leaving Christ's soul in hell" it's clear where he was meaning, to me anyway! :cool:

I thought that I already clarified that the wages of sin is death?

Peace and Love,
Stephen

According to Webster, paradise is a place of bliss; a region of supreme felicity or delight. All three occurances of the word in scripture would mean this. It's taught that the paradise of Luke 23:43 could not be the paradise in the 3rd heaven because Jesus didn't ascend there that day, instead He went into the heart of the earth, so we conclude that Abraham's bosom is the paradise He is speaking of here.

The only way of making the paradise of Luke 23 refer to Heaven is if Christ was referring to the Father when he told the thief "to day shalt thou be with me", which could work, BUT then we are faced with another difficulty because we teach no man could go to Heaven until Christ had purified them first (Hebrews 9:22-24), so there would have to be a special exception made for that thief, which I doubt there was.

But if that were the case, then dying would be the end of sinners. However, we know that's not right, so we can't say that it's right for Christ either.

I think there is a dichotomy here between the eternal nature of the spirit and soul, and the flesh. I can't say I understand why the Bible says that the wages of sin is death and leaves it at that, but it does. Do I believe the eternal resting place for those that remain in unbelief is a place of eternal torment, yes. Do I believe Christ spent a non eternal amount of time in this place, no I don't. Scripture isn't clear on this, at least it isn't clear without having to make stretches.

Peace and Love,
Stephen

Well, Jesus being an eternal being could have suffered an eternity in Hell for everyone that ever lived in those three days, or even less.

Try wrapping your head around that!! Wow... *gets a headache*

Thank you. I also believe that Christ suffered even hell for us from what the bible says.

If Christ suffered in Hell for sinners then why don't I ever hear preaches tell the lost that? I know you don't have to believe that to go to Heaven(even though there is people that say if you don't believe that you're going to Hell), but I mean that is a big thing.

Good question brother, but preachers do preach on it when they tell the lost that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for them the third day. They may not expound on the reason why Christ was buried, but the fact He was is still in the message of salvation.

Often preachers will expound on the suffering, death, shedding of the blood of Christ, then the resurrection with victory over death and eternal life freely given, but don't expound the burial, except for maybe explaining that Christ buried our sins. If a preacher was going to expound on the burial then he would have to explain how Christ's soul descended into hell, etc, which would probably be too much for a lost person to take in, and likely cause them to label the preacher as a cultist or something.

You're right though, it is a big thing, but I think it's a meaty truth, just like the truth that Christ became sin for us which caused the Father to forsake him on the cross...such things can't be taught to unbelievers, and even new Christians need to grow somewhat before they are ready to receive them.

I don't think the theory that Christ was tormented in Hell to be meaty truth one iota. I find it to be pure conjecture.

Romans 8:3 (KJV) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Hebrews 10:20 (KJV) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

I could go on an on in defense of my belief that Christ bore our sins on the Cross 'in the flesh'., and it was there that he made atonement for our sins. But what I can't understand is why you folks want to believe Christ had to make further atonement in Hell? Was His shed blood on the cross not enough?

*sigh* I think I've had enough of this thread.

Peace and Love,
Stephen



Peace and Love,
Stephen

Matt. 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Three days and three nights is a long time for an Eternal Being to spend in close proximity to Hell without a good reason to be there.